Device for selectively extracting objects from a continuous stream of objects and especially cigarettes



June 17, 1969 R. POUPIN 3,450,258

DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY EXTRACTING OBJECTS FROM A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF OBJECTS AND ESPECIALLY CIGARETTES Filed May 17, 1966 Sheet L of 5 fig '1 INVE-NTOR R17 mam! ouq'g June 17, 1969 R PO PW 3,450,258

DEVICE FOR SELECTIV EL'Y EXTRACTING OBJECTS FRO A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF OBJECTS AND ESPECIALLY CIGARETTES Filed May 17, 1966 Sheet ,3 of s INVE N R B iv-MA Pl qu- 5 ATTo Rmw I June 17, 1969 R. POUPIN 3,450,258

DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY EXTRACTING OBJECTS FROM A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF OBJECTS AND ESPECIALLY CIGARETTES Filed May 17, 1966 Sheet 5 of a fig 3 arvoo A Awoqg United States Patent Int. Cl. B07 c 34; B65g 37/00 U.S. Cl. 209- -74 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Device for removing defective objects from a continuous stream of objects delivered from a producing machine and for separating periodically samples of these objects from the stream for checking, while the device is transferring the objects under normal running conditions continuously from a first conveyor to a second conveyor.

This invention relates to devices which are capable of discarding or separating objects and especially cigarettes forming part of a continuous stream which is delivered in continuous motion from the outlet of a forming machine.

The present invention is concerned with a device which permits of automatic rejection of objects which are considered to be defective according to standards of outward appearance or presentation (gumming, diameter, spots, etc.) or according to standards of physical characteristics (compactness, moisture content, weight, length the requisite conditions being detected or measured during transfer through the machine.

The present invention is primarily concerned with a device which makes it possible to discard the first objects which are produced at the time of start-up of the machine before this latter has reached its normal running speed and which usually prove to be defective, and to sample a selected number of objects at predetermined moments for such purposes as production checking, or to discard objects which have been manufactured with double wrappers or perforated wrappers, in particular those produced by a machine which makes use of a device for joining a new roll of wrapping material to the roll of wrapping material which is nearing completion of delivery.

The present invention has for its object a device for selectively extracting individual objects or a given number of objects and especially cigarettes from a stream of similar objects delivered continuously from a forming machine of the type comprising means operating in synchronism with said machine and normally deflecting said objects laterally onto at least one conveyor adapted to move in a direction diiferent from that of the main stream, said device being characterized in that it comprises means for bringing said deflecting means into a withdrawn position wherein said last means no longer produce action on said objects or in other words into a position in which said objects are no longer deflected.

The operation of said withdrawing means can be carried out either in the event of failure of production of objects or for the purpose of taking samples, or at the moment at which a predetermined object is passing. The aforesaid operation can also be carried out in such a manner as to initiate the withdrawal of the deflecting members in synchronism with the rate of progression of the objects.

In one particular embodiment, the deflecting means are mounted on a movable support so that the displace- Patented June 17, 1969 ment of said support operates the withdrawal of said deflecting members.

It is an advantage to ensure that the means for driving the deflecting members in synchronism with the forming machine are so arranged that the driving motion takes place without interruption during the withdrawal of the deflecting means and during the return of said means to the operative position.

The deflecting members can be driven by means of pinions so mounted as to follow the motion of said movable support on which said members are carried and therefore to remain permanently engaged.

By means of the accompanying drawings, the principle of operation of the device will be presented by way of example on a machine for forming cigarettes in continuous operation in which provision is made downstream of the cutting section for members which normally deflect the cigarettes laterally into two streams on the receiving belt.

The deflecting members referred to are constituted in this example by a rotary pusher which is mounted on a parallelogram and designed to deflect simultaneously once per revolution two cigarettes with which said pusher remains in contact during at least one-eighth of a revolution.

The machine is assumed to be equipped with a device for joining the rolls of wrapping paper, for example of the type described in U.S. patent application No. 541,828, of Apr. 11, 1966.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the members which make it possible to modify the operation of the deflecting members.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the electric circuit which serves to discard the cigarettes produced at the time of startup and the cigarettes which are produced by the joining device mentioned earlier.

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the ejection device fitted with the movable chute for non-deflected objects.

As shown in FIG. 1, there is mounted on a base-plate 1 a pusher 2 which serves to deflect cigarettes in the machine, said base-plate being slidably fitted in guides 3. A double-acting jack 4 is fixed tothe frame and the rod 5 of the jack is pivotally attached to the lower end of a lever 6 which is pivoted on the fulcrum-pin 7, whilst the upper end of said lever is povitally attached to the baseplate 1 by means of a yoke 8. The pusher 2 is driven by means of a bevel pinion 9 which is maintained by means of a fork 10 continuously in mesh with the driven pinion 11 and which is slidably mounted on the guiding control shaft 12 when the base-plate 1 on which fork 10 is fastened carries out a movement of displacement.

There are shown in FIG. 2 a detection relay 13 which is energized by the pulses drived from a fault detector of the type described in U.S. patent application No. 325,570 of Nov. 22, 1963, an opening time-delay relay 14, a two-way time-delay relay 15, an electrovalve 16 which controls the double-acting jack 4 and two contact-breakers 17 and 18 mounted on a shaft which T0- tates at the same speed as the pusher 2 for the purpose of synchronizing the control of displacement of the baseplate 1; said contact-breakers permit the displacement of the base-plate 1 only if the pusher 2 occupies a predetermined angular position.

The relay 14 and electrovalve 16 are self-energizing by virtue of their contact 22 and 20 respectively. The contact 21 is intended to close as soon as the joining device begins to operate and finally, diiferent contacts 19, 23, 24, 25 and 26 operate in dependence on the different relays.

In FIG. 3, there are shown diagrammatically a first conveyor belt 27 which conveys the cigarettes from the cutting section outlet to a position opposite to the pusher 2; a second conveyor belt 28 for receiving the cigarettes which are pushed laterally and carries them in two parallel streams towards the receiving station; an articulated chute 29 which forms an extension of the conveyor belt 27. Said chute 29 is capable of taking up two different positions such as, for example, one position shown in full lines in which it is directed towards a reject container and if necessary to a shredding machine, and the other position shown in broken lines in which it is directed towards a sample receiving station.

The device which is designed as hereinabove described operates as follows:

When the machine is making normal cigarettes: the transfer detection relay 13 remains in service, the relay 14 and relay 15 are in the rest position, the electrovalve 16 is not energized, the contact-breakers 17 and 18 open and close alternately once per revolution of the pusher 2 which deflects the cigarettes in pairs towards the conveyor belt 28.

When the machine fails to supply a cigarette to the cutting section, the detection relay 13 is no longer energized and closes the contact 19; when the contact-breaker 18 also closes, the electrovalve 16 which is energized accordingly actuates the rod of the jack 4 which causes the lever 6 to pivot about the fulcrum 7 by means of the yoke 8 which moves back the base-plate 1 together with the pusher 2 within the slideway 3; the self-energizing contact 20 of the electrovalve 16 closes; the electrovalve 16 remains energized and maintains the base-plate 1 in the rearward position; the pusher continues to rotate but no longer comes into contact with the cigarettes.

When the machine supplies cigarettes once again to the cutting section, the detection relay 13 is energized and, since said relay only has a short time-delay, produces action on the contact 19 and opens this latter only after a short time. The few cigarettes supplied during this time-delay are not deflected inasmuch as the baseplate 1 is maintained in the rearward position and are carried along axially up to the end of the machine, then discharged through the chute 29 towards the reject container which is provided.

When the contact 19 opens, the opening of the contact-breaker 17 cuts off the supply of current to the electrovalve 16; the jack 4 which is actuated in the opposite direction returns the pusher 2 to its forward position and the cigarettes which are once again deflected resume their normal path on the conveyor belt 28.

When it is desired to take samples, it is merely necessary to produce action on the relay 13 so that this latter is no longer energized during the time which is'necessary for the progression of the desired number of cigarettes. In this manner, since the pusher 2 is withdrawn, the cigarettes cannot be deflected and are accordingly received at the end of the machine through the chute 29 which has been re-oriented.

This operation can be carried out either by means of a manual contact or by means of any suitable cyclic contact.

The change of orientation of the chute can be initiated at the same time and by the same members as those which effect the displacement of the deflecting members in the case of a sampling operation.

When the joining device referred to earlier joins the two rolls of wrapping paper, the contact 21 closes and energizes for a certain period of time the coil of the relay 14 which is self-supplied by means of the contact 22. The contact 23 and 26 are then closed; the contact 23 serves to energize the relay 15, the timing of which has been so regulated that it closes when the zone of tobacco rod to be discarded is located in the cutting section. At this moment, the contact 24 opens and cuts off the self-supply of the relay 14 and the contact 25 closes; when the contact-breaker 18 closes, the electrovalve 16 is energized, the base-plate 1 of the pusher 2 moves back and the cigarettes are no longer deflected but discharged at the end of the machine.

When the relay 14 is de-energized after a time-delay which is determined by the number of cigarettes to be discarded, the contact 26 opens and the first opening of the contact-breaker 17 stops the supply of current to the electro-va-lve 16; the jack 4 returns the pusher 2 to its normal position and the deflected cigarettes resume their normal path.

What I claim is:

1. A device for selectively removing objects such as cigarettes from a stream of similar objects delivered continuously from a forming machine comprising a movable support, means operating in synchronism with said machine and having an operative position for deflecting said objects laterally onto at least one conveyor adapted to move in a direction different from that of the main stream and a non-operative position for permitting said objects to be removed from said stream, controlled means for moving said support thereby bringing said deflecting means into said non-operative position, and means for controlling said controlled moving means, said deflecting means being mounted on said movable support and said controlled moving means being means for moving said support.

2. A device as in claim 1, said controlled moving means being operated in synchronism with said machine.

3. A device as in claim 2, comprising driving means for said deflecting means adapted to permanently driving said deflecting means in synchronism with said forming machine i.e. even when said deflecting means are moved to the non-operative position and when said deflecting means return to the operative position;

4. A device as in claim 3, said driving means being permanently meshing gears.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/ 1935 Rundell. 3/1954 Huttmann.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner. 

